London, United Kingdom. The World Health Organization said on Monday that Britain and several other European countries have lost their measles elimination status after a jump in infections across the continent. The agency urged countries to boost vaccination rates, particularly among under-protected populations.
Countries losing elimination status
The WHO said Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their measles elimination status.
Vaccination and risks
The WHO said measles is entirely preventable by vaccination but is very contagious and can rebound when vaccination rates decline. It commonly causes symptoms including high fever and a rash, but can also lead to serious long-term complications and death.
Broader regional and global context
“The UK’s change of status reflects a broader challenge we’re facing across the WHO European Region,” the UN health agency said on its website. The WHO said several other European countries already have regular measles transmission, including France and Romania.
Canada lost its elimination status last year, and the United States is working to retain its status as infections mount.
How the WHO determines measles-free status
WHO committees in each region decide whether a country is measles-free using case rates. To be considered measles-free, a country must have no locally transmitted cases of the same strain for 12 months or longer.
The decision to strip certain European countries of their status was made last September based on data from 2024, but the WHO said it released the information on Monday after getting sign-off from every country involved.
UK vaccination rates and case numbers
The WHO estimates vaccination rates must exceed 95% to keep measles at bay. In the UK, 84.4% of children had received the two doses needed for full protection in 2024, and government data showed 2,911 confirmed cases in England that year, the most since 2012.
UK health agency response and status history
On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency said all children should be vaccinated to protect themselves from measles. The UK was first given elimination status in 2016, before losing it in 2018 and regaining it in 2021.
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